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Ask Cars.com: Qualifying Cash for Clunkers vehicles

By Joe Bruzek, Cars.com, Source: Cars.com

Q: Will my pickup truck, SUV or minivan qualify for the Cash for Clunkers program?

A: Cars aren't the only qualifying vehicles for the Cash for Clunkers program, which gives you a $3,500 or $4,500 credit toward a new vehicle when you turn in your older, fuel-inefficient vehicle. Pickups, SUVs and minivans also qualify for the program.

For your old truck, SUV or minivan to qualify, it must have an EPA combined mileage rating of 18 mpg or less, just like the passenger car requirement. Go to FuelEconomy.gov for official EPA ratings. In fact, most of the stipulations for light-duty trucks, SUVs and minivans are the same as the car requirements, including being made in 1984 or later, in running condition, and registered and insured by the same owner for at least a year. Heavy-duty vehicles have different requirements, however, you can read more about those rules as well as the Cash for Clunkers program at PickupTrucks.com.

If you plan to buy a new pickup, SUV or minivan with the credit then the qualifications are a bit different than if you plan to by a new car. We've outlined the scenarios in the Cars.com article, "Cash for Clunkers: How it Could Work for You."

"If you want to trade in your SUV, minivan or pickup...

1. ... for a new SUV, minivan or pickup: You'll get a $3,500 credit for a new SUV, minivan or pickup whose combined rating is 18 mpg or better, so long as that rating is at least 2 mpg higher than your old vehicle's combined rating.

2. ... for a new car: The new car must still reach the 22-mpg threshold and must still have a mileage rating that's at least 4 mpg better than your trade-in.

3. ... but want a bigger credit: You'll get a $4,500 credit if you buy a new car that improves on your old SUV's, minivan's or pickup's combined mileage by 10 mpg or more, but if you're buying a new SUV, minivan or pickup, it only needs to improve on your old vehicle's rating by 5 mpg or more."

© 2009, Cars.com